Rise An Eve Novel - By Anna Carey Page 0,20

tunnels and into the Outlands, bringing in additional supplies. Now that the siege had started, I couldn’t be certain when the rebels would reach the City center. But if we weren’t back in the Palace, with Moss, when they swept through, we’d both be dead.

I started toward the exit, pulling Clara with me. “We need to leave,” I whispered to her. “I don’t know how much time we have.”

A small crowd had formed by the exit, peppering the soldiers with questions. A short woman stood in front of them, her hands gesturing frantically. Now that the sun had set, she’d borrowed a short red jacket from the waiting staff to keep warm. “But I have to go,” she said, her voice uneven. “My sons are just two blocks south of here. What if the rebels make it through the gate? What will we do then?”

“They won’t make it through the gate.” The soldier’s head was completely shaved. The skin at the back of his neck came together in thick, pink folds. “We’re more concerned right now with the dissidents inside the City. It’s safer here than down on the street.”

Three men stood beside her, listening. One reached over the soldier’s arm and pushed at the top of the metal door, seeing if it would give. “Get back!” the other soldier yelled. He yanked the collar of the man’s shirt, pulling him away.

The man struggled free of the soldier’s grip. “We have families we need to get to. What is it to you if we want to leave?”

“They’re right,” I said. “How long are we expected to stay up here?”

The heavy soldier glanced sideways at his colleague. “These were your father’s orders.” He looked less certain now, as a few others moved toward the exit. “They need people off the road so the Jeeps can pass. They’re supposed to remain here. It’s just for now.”

“We’re just supposed to sit here?” One of the men by the door had taken off his suit jacket, revealing a sweat-stained shirt. “What about our families?” A few tables were still blocking the exit. He grabbed the legs, pulling one of them back. “Someone help me move these.”

The heavy soldier went to stop him, but I took his arm. “You have to let us leave,” I said. Another explosion went off in the Outlands, the smoke rising up in a sudden massive cloud. I steeled myself against it. “All of us. If we stay here much longer we’ll be trapped.”

“Eve,” Clara whispered. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe we just have to wait it out. We shouldn’t argue with them.” She watched the heavy soldier readjust his rifle as the crowd moved.

But I pushed forward, grabbing one of the chairs from the top of the pile and passing it back to her. Two tables were wedged against the door. I slid the bottom one sideways along the roof’s edge. The soldier hovered there, uncertain whether to stop me.

The hollow, popping sound of explosives was much louder than before. “We need to go now,” another man yelled. He was in a waiter’s uniform, the vest undone. He pushed his way through to the front of the crowd.

The people behind him followed, knocking us forward. The soldier pressed one arm back against the man’s chest, trying to stop him, but the crowd kept moving. A woman fell into me, and we pushed toward the doors. She was so close I could smell the coffee on her breath.

My knees faltered. I lost hold of Clara’s hand. There was shouting as the crowd moved in one great mass. The doors gave suddenly, and everyone lurched forward. A younger woman with a red hat stepped over the chairs that had been propped against the exit. As we ran down the stairs, spurred on by the dense flow of panicked people, I looked up to see two of the men holding the soldier against the wall while the rest of the crowd passed.

It was quiet as we spiraled down the stairwell, watching our feet, our steps echoing on the concrete. An older man stopped in front of me, panting, his hands on his knees. A few people darted past him, nearly knocking him forward as they did. “It’s all right,” I said, taking him by the arm. “One at a time.”

We continued down until the stairwell spit us out on the bottom floor of the renovated hotel. The sprawling lobby was empty. The old gaming machines were covered with sheets. Each restaurant was closed,